ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. can — a tin
  3. row — a line
  4. rest — what's left
  5. degree — temperature
  6. degree — an amount
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. can — a tin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. last — final
  13. can — to be able to
  14. board — a committee
  15. rest — a break
  16. last — finally
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. last — to go on
  20. degree — from a university
  21. net — after costs
  22. row — to paddle
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com